Margaret Engle
Margaret Engle was an ordinary girl born in Industry, Pennsylvania in 1895. At the age of 15 she met her first missionary, and the course of her life was set in motion. The spark and desire for spreading the Gospel to the world were planted. A good friend of hers, a missionary, challenged Margaret to seek God’s plan for her life through prayer. Engle did just that, but did not see the fulfillment of this plan for years. She went on to college at Penn State pursuing a degree in teaching.
Almost everyone who knew her had expectations of what Margaret’s life would amount to. What she experienced is probably what a lot of potential missionaries face. There are people in their lives who have other plans for them. But God’s plans and purposes have to be the most important. Through unexpected events and an invitation to join a friend in Africa, Engle ended up on the other side of the world, far away from home and familiar trappings.
Eventually she settled in a town near Mount Kilimanjaro where she ended up teaching African children. The skills she had acquired in America and her love of teaching were used, but in a different way and in a different place.
Trust in God requires our faith to be engaged! Margaret had no idea what God would do in her life, but she trusted Him. The seed planted long ago was brought to fruition. Her courage to place her trust in God may have caused others concern, but Engle’s heart was fixed. Margaret would also go on to meet her husband in Africa, Tom Marsh a widower at the time. The two, worked as missionaries in the continent for the majority of their marriage.
photo by Stig Nygaard
